Mini More Terrace By Molecule Studio
Designed by Molecule Studio, Mini More Terrace stays within its lines to unlock flow and purpose—measured planning, tactile materiality and mindful reuse deliver a home, resolved yet lived-in.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos MARTINA GEMMOLA Stylist BECK SIMON Builder CBD CONTRACTING
Mini More Terrace’s metamorphosis blends old and new through textured expressions and thoughtful material choices.
The checkered kitchen tiling evokes nostalgia and opens a dialogue between the home’s past and present.
Working inside the existing footprint, new steel and glass doors lead out to the backyard.
Mini More Terrace shows how small, well-judged design decisions can deliver impact—keeping the home’s timeless character intact for years to come.
Checkered tiling, whitewashed brick and a timber-lined ceiling shape a restrained, light-filled dining space.
A steel-framed arch draws the eye down a tightened corridor to the rear of the home.
“This renovation story exemplifies how minimal, creative solutions can yield profound impacts, allowing the home’s timeless spirit to endure for years to come.”
Simple openings, pale surfaces and simple joinery maximises natural light.
Mini More Terrace seamlessly reconciles eras and aesthetics by introducing modern, yet subtle features.
The floor plan supports the young family’s daily rhythm without altering the bedroom layouts.
Bespoke laboratory sinks in the bathroom and kitchen celebrate imperfection.
The sun-drenched, compact bathroom.
Set in Princes Hill, Mini More Terrace is a testament to the beauty of transformation within constraint. Charged with reviving a much-loved family home of twenty years, Molecule Studio stayed strictly within the original footprint, favouring purpose and continuity.
The brief called for refinement rather than reinvention: to work within the footprint and unlock flow, sharpen function and preserve the home’s history and character.
An evocative image of Picasso’s Paris apartment set the tone for the redesign: joyful and layered with life. It resonated with the clients, both creatives, and became the quiet compass for the renovation. Rather than erase the past, Molecule Studio tuned it, calibrating light, movement and material to reflect the family’s rhythms.
The pivotal move is spatial. A once dog-legging sequence of closed rooms is ‘righted’ by a new arched connection that extends beyond the front hallway, establishing a clear linear axis from the entry. With circulation simplified, the house reads as intentional zones instead of interruptions. The living space now sits apart from the traditional enfilade of front bedrooms, elevating comfort and privacy while allowing direct, disruption-free access to the family bathroom, euro laundry and kitchen beyond.
Materially, the project reconciles eras through texture and restraint. Whitewashed brickwork and an adapted fireplace remain as tactile anchors, their familiar surfaces grounding the new. Gridded motifs in flooring and tiling introduce quiet order; bespoke laboratory sinks lend a utilitarian poise; a single marble step becomes a measured pause—an understated marker of transition. Imperfections aren’t concealed but framed, giving the home an honesty that feels both robust and refined.
Modern insertions are purposeful: double-glazed windows lift comfort and performance without visual noise, while custom joinery brings storage, warmth and graphic clarity to each room. Across the scheme, retention, reuse and adaptation operate as design drivers as much as sustainable choices, evidence that small, precise interventions can deliver generous outcomes.
What distinguishes Mini More Terrace is its composure—the architecture doesn’t compete. Movement is legible, thresholds are softened, and each corner earns its place. In this calibrated balance of sequence, surface and utility, Molecule Studio blurs architecture and interiors into a single, coherent narrative.
The result is a home that honours its legacy while feeling unmistakably present. Minimal in gesture, generous in effect, and poised to endure.
